He gets the nod over Nate Field. Ramirez, who was cut by the A's two weeks ago, had given up three runs in 4 1/3 innings since joining Albuquerque. He'll pitch in middle relief. Mon, Jul 2, 2007 06:27:00 PM

Athletics designated LHP Erasmo Ramirez for assignment.

Ramirez loses his spot despite pitching scoreless innings in each of his three appearances with the A's. There are plenty of worse 11th and 12th pitchers around, and some team (the Cardinals?) should claim him off waivers. Sat, Jun 16, 2007 06:54:00 PM

Ramirez has had a lot of trouble sticking in the majors despite the fact that he's left-handed and has a a 4.01 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP in 107 2/3 innings in his career. Part of the problem is that he's no better against lefties than versus righties. He could prove to be a pretty good middle reliever for the A's if used properly. Fri, May 25, 2007 05:53:00 PM

Depth Charts

Marlins manager Don Mattingly confirmed J.T. Riddle (shoulder) is out for the season.

Riddle will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a slap tear in his left shoulder on August 11. He'll finish the year with three homers, 31 RBI and a .250 average over 228 at-bats. Miguel Rojas will continue to man shortstop in his absence.

The Marlins aren't counting on Martin Prado (knee) to return before the end of the season.

Prado hasn't been officially ruled out, but his rehab from knee surgery was slowed due to Hurricane Irma and he doesn't want to rush things just for a brief appearance in the final two weeks. "I don’t think it’s professional to put myself out there and not perform the way I should be performing," said Prado. The 33-year-old has also missed time with hamstring issues this year, so he's been limited to just 37 games while batting .250/.279/.357 with two homers and 12 RBI. He's still under contract for $28.5 million over the next two seasons.

Volquez was believed to be dealing with just a knee injury but an MRI revealed that he also has a torn UCL in his throwing elbow. The usual timeline for Tommy John recovery is 12-15 months and since Volquez suffered the injury so late in the year, there's a good chance he won't pitch at all in 2018. With Volquez headed for free agency in 2019, it's quite possible the 34-year-old has pitched his final game as a Miami Marlin.

Nick Wittgren underwent surgery to remove a bone spur from his right elbow.

Wittgren landed on the disabled list in late July with what was termed as a right elbow strain. He'll now officially turn his focus toward getting ready for 2018. Wittgren, 26, posted a 4.68 ERA and 43/13 K/BB ratio over 42 1/3 innings in the Marlins' bullpen.